10-foot Statue of Nelson Mandela Unveiled in Washington DC

10-foot Statue of Nelson Mandela Unveiled in Washington DC

Hundreds gathered outside the South African Embassy in Washington DC on Saturday for the unveiling of a 10-foot statue of former South African President Nelson Mandela.

The statue was located in the very spot where the 1984 protest to end apartheid took place and is a replica of one that stands outside South Africa’s Drakenstein Correctional Centre where Mandela was released after 27 years of imprisonment.

A quote from Mandela’safter his release in 1990 is found on the plaque at the base of the statue ‘The stand you took established…that here we have friends…fighters against racism who feel hurt because we are hurt, who seek our success because they too seek the victory of democracy over tyranny. I speak…of the millions of people throughout this great land who stood up and engaged the apartheid system in struggle. Let us keep our arms locked together so that we form a solid phalanx against racism…Let us ensure that justice triumphs without delay.’